Beyond What You See
by volumeNspace
Summary: There are always two sides to a coin. Sometimes what you see may not be what you have originally perceived it to be... [Pairings:Not specified]
1. Hot Meat Loaf

**Beyond What You See**

**By: volumeNspace**

A/N: I've been a very bad person by taking down my previous fics… Hence, my new one… And no I'm NOT taking it down... Not matter what... Scout's honor! XP

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Judge not what you see.

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"I think I'm in love." 

Cagalli snorted loudly at the sudden declaration. Towards this type of statements, the blonde have long since learnt to ignore its credibility. Not looking up at the speaker, the blonde dried the cup with the cloth in her hands and placed it onto the shelf.

Luna pouted, "The least you could do is to give me a reaction right?" The blonde rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her obvious exasperation towards her red-headed friend.

"You're always in love, Luna." Cagalli answered sarcastically as she played with the loose threads of her apron.

"Shut up!" Luna replied as she directed a small glare in the blonde's direction before returning to her original dreamy state. The blonde only rolled her eyes at the redhead.

"Please. Don't make me remind you of Jesse, the American you dated three weeks ago. Justin, the North American; whom you've claimed to be the most _gentlemanly man to have ever graced this shop!_" Cagalli retorted; imitating Luna's excited squeak and giving a dreamy sigh at the end of her... no, Luna's declaration.

Cagalli silenced any sounds of protest the redhead wanted to emit by continuing immediately, "Not to forget this squinty-eyed Jung Joon guy from Korea you dated last year and dumped him this year during June. Plus another Chinese guy called Jun Pei or something. You've dated him right after Jung Joon, remember?"

"Alright! Alright! I see your point!" Luna sulked, a faint but evident blush on her cheeks. Cagalli sent the pouting red head a small naughty grin, "It's about time you did." The red head was about to aim her fist at the grinning blonde when the tinkling of the bell sounded up front, drawing their attention away. Professionalism took over the reigns as Luna enquired for the customer's order. Cagalli squelched the urge to roll her eyes just as another man fell for the oldest trick up your average waitress's sleeve.

From her area, Cagalli could see very clearly the blush that stained the man's cheeks just as Luna flashed him a megawatt smile and batted her eye lashes at him. At this point, Cagalli could envision man's heart jumping at a faster rate as he stammered out an answer (that is to ask for a recommendation from the waitress…)._ It's all in a day's work._ Cagalli thought as she calmly settled the thick cream over the steaming cappuccino beverage.

Once the man was sent away with a dreamy smile, his _expensive_ cappuccino in hand and out of earshot, Cagalli flashed the red head a thumbs-up. "Good job red. Another bagged man." Cagalli praised as she wiped the counter clean of any coffee spills. Luna just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Batting her eyelashes playfully at the blonde she drawled, "I try Cags. I try."

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A heavy veil of gloom settled over the blonde as she whisked away the last of the cups on the counter. The sky was a whirlwind of rose and violet, streaked with violent splashes of crimson and yellow. The red head beside her gushed loudly about how beautiful the sunset looked while Cagalli fought the nauseating rise of melancholy in her. The blonde never admired the sunset, no matter how lovely the splay of colors were; she was always unfazed. 

Waving goodbye to the enthusiastic red head, Cagalli headed off towards the eastern district of the city. The blonde ignored the countless pangs of upsetting dread that sloshed against her in repetitive waves. Keeping her amber eyes averted to the ground, the blonde wove her way through the silent streets of Dover Quarter Turn. Her hand fished for the keys immediately as the worn architecture came into view. Darting like a bullet up the stairs, Cagalli wasted no time to fling open the door and slam it shut as she went in.

The smell of yesterday's meat loaf baking in the oven wafted in the air as Cagalli dumped her bag onto the couch. The clear clink of cutlery sounded in the small apartment as Cagalli padded over to the kitchen. A small wistful smile crept onto the blonde's face as she watched a small child of six handle the cutlery with absolute precision and seriousness. A small pang of sadness hit her as she watched a mini version of the familiar frown and solemn determination she knew all too well.

The blonde had no time to pursue her thoughts as the child looked up from his endeavor and gave a wide toothy grin, "You're back! I made the meat loaf with Asu's help!" An indignant snort sounded in the back ends of the kitchen as a louder and deeper voice cut through the air, "**I** made the loaf while you set the cutlery Kazuki!"

The pout that slinked onto the child's face was too adorable to pass up. Cagalli smiled warmly and cooed, "Now, that was great help wasn't it Kazuki? It was mean of Shinn to boast right?" The blonde held in the laugh that wanted to escape her lips when the child nodded tearfully. A raven-headed man poked his head out from the cupboard under the sink and gave her a dark scowl.

"Ha. Ha." Shinn voiced sarcastically as he dusted his jeans and washed his hands. Cagalli ruffled Kazuki's chocolate-covered head affectionately, "So how's school today? Did you learn anything new?" The boy's face brightened considerably as he chattered excitedly about the new bug he saw at the field today. Cagalli never withheld the comical expressions that followed as Kazuki retold his experience with dramatic flourish. Shinn could not help but envy the duo; he had often wondered vaguely, how was it like to banter playfully or to get affectionate gestures… Shaking himself out of those morbid thought chains, Shinn allowed his crimson gaze to fall on the boy who was still recounting his fateful expedition. A small smile slid onto his face as he decided to return to his apartment next door; he did not want to interrupt the duo. Crossing the kitchen quietly, the twenty-two year old headed for the door.

"Aren't you staying for dinner? You made it you know…" Cagalli trailed, settling her amber pools on those stark crimson ones. A small part of her softened unbearably at the considerable ache Shinn should be feeling right now. Smiling gently, the blonde pulled forcefully at the sleeve of the contemplating raven-haired man.

"You're always welcome you know?"

It was a statement rather than a question. Shinn felt a sudden warmth flood through his iced veins as he stared at the blonde. A moment passed. Then, the twenty-two year old let a smile caress his face, "Sure." The man mumbled softly as they headed over for hot meatloaf on a cold Thursday night.

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A/N: Is it worth continuing? R&R… 


	2. More Entertaining

**Beyond What You See**

**By: volumeNspace**

A/N: Finally updated after so long! I'm so sorry! Especially those who are pursuing this fic! -cries- ENJOY!

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_Judge not what you see._

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Lunamaria Hawke was currently facing what seems to be her longest and most emotionally exhausting wait ever. Letting out a bored sigh, the redhead let her finger draw faint circles lightly over the clean table top of the counter. Luna hated Fridays; she was practically bored to tears, Friday shifts were complete filled by her and another girl so her blonde friend was not with her. The other girl was apparently sick hence, she was all alone manning the counter.

Fingering a lock of her short hair, the redhead contemplated the latest offer made to her by her Uncle Joseph at Canada. Her mind weighed the pros and cons precariously, if she made a wrong move, she may end up regretting this decision for life; especially when she has to think about her sister's future as well.

The annoying ticking at her right temple irked her to no end as the redhead immediately punched a digit at the throbbing area and messaged it viciously, trying to rid herself of the ache. The redhead closed her eyes and tried to calm down; her migraine never seems to stop when she was agitated. Muttering dark curses under her breathe, Luna tried to pry off the grip the migraine had on her temple.

"Stupid, stinking migraine! Always coming to bug my ass to a hell of frustration! If you're touchable, I would've made you my punch-bag!" Luna threatened as softer curses followed.

Luna stopped her obviously irrational mumbled threats at her _migraine_ when she heard an amused chuckle. Cold dread filled her veins as she screeched mentally at the possibility of someone being _in front_ of her. Someone who heard her _ranting_ on and on about her _**migraine**_. She waited a few seconds before daring to open her eyes. Shocking horror was truly the understatement of the century.

Life truly does hate her.

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Rey Za Burrel ignored the anger that gnawed at his heart as he walked briskly down the side-walk. Apparently, his stupid PA had messed up his schedules; which led to him being unable to meet the important representative from Osaka. PA, as in Pathetic Assistant.

Rey cursed darkly in his head as he made a mental reminder to fire the worthless piece of shit later, after his lunch break; he never wanted to see her wretched face ever again.

Rey's blue eyes wandered down the streets as he remembered his cynical but cheeky blonde colleague's suggestion of good places for taking lunch breaks. Which Rey quote, was, "A place where there're good coffee and babes."

Rey decided that a good dose espresso would be good enough to calm his temper. Sadly, the blonde gave up looking for the café after ten minutes of wandering down the street. If there was one thing he hated more than Pathetic Assistants, it would be wasting precious time.

A lone shop standing down the end of the next street caught his eye. The shop was painted in simple contrasting colors, white walls with black chairs scattered inside. The soft embodied French architecture with an array of flowers lining the side in an unkempt fashion, was more of artful taste than careless planting. Rey shrugged, all he needed was an espresso and a good muffin.

The air inside was that of freshly baked muffins and slightly peppered with the smell of a good coffee brew. Rey immediately noticed the waitress who was sitting on the stool at the counter. She seemed to be muttering about something under her breathe and the expression on her face was anything but happy. In fact, Rey concluded, it was bordering on murderous.

As he approached the counter, he caught the rather childish and irrational threat being issued by the waitress to her _migraine_. Rey quirked an amused eyebrow as he stood in front of her, the redhead was too lost in her own world which brought a smile on his face. When he heard the last insult towards her migraine (stinko-face), the blonde could not help but let out an amused chuckle. He watched as the redhead freeze in dread before opening her eyes and letting out a small yelp.

_This is more entertainment than watching Heine get verbally whipped by Joule_. Rey thought with slight glee as he watched the waitress try to suppress her embarrassment. She croaked out her question politely all the while averting his eyes.

Rey raised an eyebrow but ordered what he wanted and waited patiently; his azure pools following her figure as she packed the coffee and its counterpart into a bag.

The redhead avoided his eyes as she thanked him, bowing slightly. His hand shot out quickly as his fingers caught her smooth chin and pushed her face up to look at him, his azure eyes boring into her violet ones.

"It's not polite to thank people without looking at them in the eye, Miss… Hawke." Rey said, looking at her nametag. Upon closer inspection, the redhead with violet eyes and a mild blush across her cheeks was very much a pretty woman. Smiling slightly, Rey let go of her chin and whisked out of the shop, leaving the waitress gaping at him.

_Lunamaria Hawke._ Rey recounted as he walked down the street. _You'll be seeing more of me soon. _Rey grinned as he drank his espresso, his earlier fury forgotten.

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"Miss Hibiki, as you may know, Kazuki is a very bright boy. In fact, his excellence in his academic and physical aspects has caught my attention countless times. So far, he has skipped three grades and in actual fact could be skipping another one soon. However, I fear our school has little to offer to an intelligent boy like Kazuki. " stated the blonde principal calmly as she looked at Cagalli steadily. At these words, Cagalli's heart squeezed tightly; Kazuki resembles his father too much.

Folding her hands nervously on her lap, Cagalli considered her reply to the expectant principal, "I understand what you're trying to imply Miss. Gladys, but I don't know any schools for the gifted offer resources like public schools do."

Talia Gladys smiled warmly, "I know of your predicament, so I've located a good school for you. Here are the particulars of the school, I've known the headmaster of the school for years now and I've recommended Kazuki to him. He has agreed to take Kazuki since there are still available places."

Cagalli smiled gratefully, her chocolate eyes shining with delight as she thanked the other woman. "I'll consider it and I'll inform you and the headmaster if all goes well."

Talia smiled again as she stood to lead the younger blonde out, "I'm looking forward to your reply, Miss Hibiki."

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A/N: Whee! Finished!!! R&R!! 


	3. Rosemary Wood Sofas

**Beyond What You See**

**By: volumeNspace**

A/N: Hi all! I've (finally) updated again… Sorry for the long wait… I can't really decide what to do with this chapter... But I still got it out anyway! Yay for me!

**NOTE:**

Can anyone explain the educational system in America? Like at 12 what grade are you in… and by which age should a person be in college… I want to write my story as close to real life as possible… Thanks… XD

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Shinn Asuka was winced as he spied the splinter that conveniently wedged itself deeply into the skin of his finger. Scowling at his clumsiness, the raven-haired man groped his pocket for a pair of tweezers. 

"Stupid critter…" her mumbled under his breath as he plucked the splint out of his finger, grimacing slightly at the pain which zigzagged through his finger. After glaring at the oh-so-innocent splinter, the crimson-eyed man proceeded to continue smoothing the surface of the piece of furniture he was working on; ignoring the slight sting of his finger, while doing so.

"Asuka! Stop dawdling around! I don't recall paying you to sit around crying over a small splinter wound! Now, unless you want me to give you the chop, get back to work you midget!" a huge pot-bellied man spat angrily, his face almost purple with exertion. Shinn gritted his teeth in annoyance; he hated it when the fat ass called him a midget and accused him of being a slacker. Deciding to let the accusation slide, Shinn continued sanding the leg carefully. It was important to get the texture of the wood just right in order to attain immediate customer satisfaction.

Shinn smoothed his hand over the now smooth surface of the leg; his brow still furrowed in concentration as he felt for any uneven sanded surface and smiled contentedly when he had found none. It took him another hour and a half to finish the whole sofa. It was, after all, very delicate business.

Stepping back, the raven-haired man admired his handiwork, his sharp crimson orbs inspecting the whole sofa for any blunders on his part. The twenty-two year old eyed the piece of furniture enviously, whoever who had bought this sofa was definitely a rich person. Well, for a fact, Shinn knows that the sofa was made entirely out of the best rosemary wood due to fact that the sofa emitted a faint sweet smell and the design was probably customized since he had never seen such a deeply fusionist design on the market. Shrugging, the raven-haired man picked up his tools and turned to leave but not before stealing another glance at the piece of furniture.

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"Nakamura-san is the sofa ready?" a man asked as he walked into the shop. Dressed in a black blazer and pants with a grey dress shirt which complimented his keen eyes. 

"Oh yes! Please have a look at the furniture first!"

The man examined the sofa before commenting coolly, "Who did this?"

The pot-bellied man froze, his hands clenched together tightly. He should have known the worm had slipped-up! Clearing his voice nervously, the balding man croaked, "It was a worker of mine sir."

The man narrowed his eyes in poor concealed irritation, "Of course I know he's your worker. Stop blubbering useless information. Who is he?"

Sweat started pooling on his forehead as the huge man rubbed his clammy hands on his pants, his voice holding a slight accusing note as he replied unsteadily, "Shinn Asuka, sir. He was the one who insisted that he should do all the work. I didn't want to assign him…"

The man raised an eye brow quizzically as he cut in smoothly, "Oh? May I meet him?"

"He's right here." A voice called from the side. Both men turned to face the raven-haired man who was wiping his wet tools with a clean cloth. His face stiff with controlled rage as he approached both men. The fucking fat ass had the gall to make him responsible for the furniture's imperfection and claimed the glory whenever praises were given. Damn him straight to the pits of hell to be deep-fired into pork fries!

He faced the well-dressed man impassively as he felt the man assess his outlook. Shinn also took his time scrutinizing the man. Clean pressed Armani suit, well-polished leather shoes and impeccable aristocratic air. Yup, this was the man he had been wondering about earlier. Shooting a dirty look at his smirking employer, Shinn asked, or rather, growled, "Is there a problem?"

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Shock was evidently written all over her face as Cagalli let the reality of the information provided by the report sink in. Her hands trembled slightly as the blonde held up the paper and reread the statements carefully. Slumping onto the chair entirely, all the blonde could muster up was a weak "Bloody hell." 

Still muttering under her breath, the blonde tried to calm herself down. But how?!? Miss Gladys had referred Kazuki to a_** very prestigious**_ private school for the gifted, in fact, it was the well-known Fremont Private Academy. It was filled with impossibly intelligent and gifted youngsters like Kazuki, all studying to improve their strengths and work out their weaknesses in life. Almost all of them were geniuses and extremely rich.

Cagalli's head suddenly felt woozy from the information dished out to her. Although he fervently hoped to send Kazuki there, the blonde was afraid that Kazuki would be teased and bullied mercilessly by the rich spoilt brats there.

"Miss? Are you alright? You look distressed." A soft voice called to her. Looking up from her dazed state, the blonde shook her head slightly. The woman laughed as she sat herself conveniently beside Cagalli, "You look like you need a listening ear."

When Cagalli shifted uncomfortably, the woman immediately added, "I'm a local counselor. Relax, I don't eat people." Cagalli laughed softly, her eyes twinkling with humor. The two enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere between them before Cagalli broke the silence.

"What are you eating?" Cagalli asked softly looking at the ice-cream.

"Durian ice-cream with chocolate rice. Why?" the woman enquired looking at the blonde curiously. Cagalli grimaced, "I heard that durians stink like hell."

The woman beside her laughed loudly, her tinkling laughter filling the air. Smiling at the blonde she replied, "I wouldn't be that quick to judge Miss."

Cagalli frowned, her elegant eye brows meeting in a tight frown as she responded brashly, "Well, I'd rather not take the chance. It's too risky. What if I hate it?"

"What if you like it?" the woman countered cleverly as she licked the ice-cream delicately, her smile still hanging on her smooth porcelain face. Cagalli shook her head resolutely, insisting that she would not like the taste.

"Well, Miss, you've never tried this flavor. It's not fair to judge hastily. There are always risks people have to take, it depends on how you deal with the risk that's all." The woman said sagely as she wiped her lips delicately after popping the last bit of the cone into her mouth.

Cagalli frowned again, trying to understand the woman's words. Her face lit up with comprehension as she faced the woman, "Is that why you've added chocolate rice a top the ice-cream?"

If it were possible, the woman's grin got wider as she patted Cagalli's hand gently, "I think that should be sufficient to help you no?" Cagalli grinned brightly before hugging the woman and muttering her thanks to the woman. Cagalli watched as the woman sashayed away into the distance. _At least I've finally made my decision._

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A/N: I apologise for any grammatical error or vocabulary. R&R! 


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